


No Slumber Party is Complete Without Dress-Up

by ArchmageIsACat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dress Up, Gen, Hatching the Eggbert, Pesterquest, Psychoanalysis, Toxic Masculinity, Trans Female Character, We live in a society, gender euphoria, gender ignorance, minor Transphobia, slumber party, sociology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 09:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchmageIsACat/pseuds/ArchmageIsACat
Summary: John gets his nails done at Jade's slumber party and decides to try on a dress.





	No Slumber Party is Complete Without Dress-Up

You stare down at your hands, admiring the handiwork of your friend, Rose. You were captivated watching her work at painting your nails, and she did a fantastic job despite how fidgety you were during the whole thing. She had suggested it mere seconds before she remembered that Jade was the only person there that she could even imagine wanting to engage in this that didn’t already have their nails done. Jade had turned her down, and you suppose you felt a little bad for her, so you offered to let her paint your nails instead. She was mildly amused at first, but then you sat down next to her and waited for her to get started, and she understood you were serious.  


ROSE: Well, I suppose I wouldn't turn down an offer when presented.  


And that was how you wound up with your freshly painted nails. You feel… dizzy? No... giddy. Something about looking at the black nail polish on your fingers just wells up butterflies in your stomach and makes your heart beat a little faster. You sit like this for a bit, soaking in the feeling silently, until rose speaks.  


ROSE: What do you think, John?  
JOHN: i...  
JOHN: i think i like it?  
JADE: your nails look so cute john!:) rose did a great job!  
ROSE: I'm glad you liked it John, though I am surprised that you volunteered in the first place.  
DAVE: don't think any of us saw it comin, i mean whats next my best bro says he wants to try on girls clothes?   
ROSE: Well, I did bring an overly cautious number of changes of clothes, and I'm sure Jade has more than a spare outfits if she doesn't mind.  
DAVE: rose i was joking did i sound sinc-  


Dave and Rose continue their back and forth but you’ve tuned out. The butterflies from the nail polish are back and they’re getting very aggressive. Something about the idea just sounds good to you. Your mind swims with questions like “is this okay” and “should i?” but even you aren’t prepared for the words that come out of your mouth.  


JOHN: ...can i?  


Dave and Rose quit their halfway insincere argument about sociology or some shit and look at you.  


DAVE: what  
JOHN: c-can i?  
JOHN: try on some outfits, i mean?  
ROSE: While I will admit that my offer was based in a slight amount of insincerity to antagonize Dave, I suppose it would be rude to offer and then rescind when taken up on it.  
ROSE: Jade, would you like to provide John with any clothes for his dress-up request?  
JADE: sure!   
JADE: john, do you wanna try some dresses or would you rather try skirts?  
JOHN: i'm not really sure actually?  
JOHN: which are better ha ha?  
DAVE: i can't believe what im hearin first you get your nails done now youre gettin asked whether you wanna wear skirts or dresses and youre treatin it like the waiter just asked you whether you want chicken guhnotchy or pasta fagioli and youre like huh idk whats good when the whole idea is ridiculous cause you came here for the free bread you didnt come here to order an actual fuckin meal  
DAVE: like dude you do realize this is ridiculous right if bro caught ME doing this id never hear the end of it and bro is basically the coolest dude in the history of ever you aren't even doing this ironically man what is this shit  
ROSE: Well that's certainly a lot to unpack and we'll probably have time for it while John gets changed.  
ROSE: Jade, I'd provide both just in case.  


Rose shoves a change of clothes into your hands and shoos you out of the room, and Jade gives you directions to the bathroom, and you’re off. Despite Dave’s mini rant, you’re still excited about the prospect of trying on girls clothes. You make your way to the bathroom and close the door behind you. You’re really doing this. You try on the purple skirt and squid shirt that Rose handed you and look in the mirror. You feel good, and you suppose the ensemble looks good on you, but its not really you, you know? After a few minutes of staring in the mirror and occasionally doing a little twirl with the skirt there’s a knock at the door.  


JADE: john are you alright :?  
JADE: youve been in there a while and i was worried that dave shitting on you trying new things got in your head.  
JADE: im sorry he did that by the way this was supposed to be a fun sleepover :(  
JOHN: oh sorry i got kinda distracted ha ha.  
JADE: i brought you a dress by the way!  
JOHN: thank you jade, i'll try it on right now!  


With that, Jade hands you the dress and goes back to the room. You get out of the skirt and shirt Rose handed you and slip into Jade’s dress. She also left some hair clips folded in with it, and after a few seconds figuring out in the mirror where to stick them, you take a good look at yourself. Now this is more like it. You could explode you feel so happy right now, that kinda happiness where you just wanna squeal and your heart rate is probably way too high. You go to town spinning and trying to calm yourself, and then you make your way back to Jade’s bedroom. You enter the room and your friends all stare at you. Dave’s poker face is broken and blushing, Rose wears an expression like someone who just solved a murder mystery in the first half of the first act, and Jade is beaming.  


DAVE: ...woah  
JADE: you look amazing!  
ROSE: You look like sisters...  


Oh boy, that word. “Sisters.” That does a number on you. The feeling of seeing your nails painted or wearing a dress pale in comparison to this. You’re on cloud fucking 9 right now. Your face flushes, you get light headed, and all that work you did to calm yourself goes out the window. You open your mouth to speak but all that comes out is a gleeful squeal. You pass out.  


When you wake up you’re bombarded with attention from your friends. Lots of “are you okay”s and apologies and asking if they need to call your dad. You assure them that you’re fine and that you were just over excited and you don’t have a family medical history of making loud noises when walking into rooms then fainting, really it doesn’t have to be a federal fucking issue. You then ask a question of your own.  


JOHN: rose, what did you mean earlier?  
JOHN: like before i passed out, do you really think jade and i could be sisters?  
JOHN: erm, pass for sisters?  
ROSE: Well, brother and sister yes, but I must admit you do bare a striking resemblance to jade when you're wearing her clothes.  
ROSE: Are you sure you two aren't related in any way?  
JOHN: oh, um...  
JOHN: i guess i don't know, my dad probably would though.  
JOHN: thank you guys by the way  
JOHN: for letting me try on your clothes and all that.  
JOHN: it was really nice and i think i liked it a lot?  
JOHN: it's a shame i can't do it more though.  
JADE: why not john?  
JOHN: well this was nice and all but aren't these girl's clothes? it's not like i could just wear them whenever i wanted.  
ROSE: I'll save Jade the trouble of repeating herself.  
ROSE: Why not, John? These clothes make you happy, right?  
JOHN: like i said and also like dave said, they're girl's clothes! guys aren't supposed to wear them, right?  
ROSE: If you subscribe to traditional western gender roles, yes.   
ROSE: But tell me John, what makes those roles more valid than your feelings? What made those roles, humans or nature?  
JOHN: i guess that humans made them?  
ROSE: And you are also human, so you could decide to dispose of those roles if you wished.  
JOHN: well they're really old and probably exist for a reason!  
ROSE: Many things are old and exist for reasons, that doesn't make them or the reasoning behind them good or valid John.  
ROSE: Besides, even if you do choose to subscribe to traditional gender roles, you said that all this made you happy and excited, and that it came to a head punctuated with your sudden loss of consciousness when I referred to you with the feminine coded noun "sister".  
ROSE: Would it be that far fetched a concept that on some level you view yourself... nay, that you are yourself, a girl, and were experiencing the phenomenon of gender euphoria?  
JOHN: ha ha what?  
DAVE: rose are you sayin that my best bro is actually my best sis cause idk about that i rag on john a lot but i'm pretty sure he's a dude and honestly i'm not too sure that gender shit you're talking about is even remotely correct like im fairly sure people can't just change their gender  
DAVE: no offense john you do look dope in that outfit  
ROSE: I'm simply asking John, and now I suppose you as well, to consider the possibility that perhaps the perception that you two have had about him or potentially her your whole lives might be less accurate than first assumed.  
ROSE: We live in a society that values first impressions above accuracy and we must move past that if we are to progress in our respect and treatment of the rights of others.  
JADE: i think it'd be cool if john's a girl!  
JADE: shes very pretty and i think it'd be nice to have another friend whos a girl besides you rose. :)  
JADE: and even if we arent related we could totally be like dream sisters! back before i got cut off from prospit for some reason i used to go see you all the time hoping you'd wake up, but you never did. :(  
JADE: but now were face to face so we could do sister stuff together!  
JOHN: uhhh idk guys.  
JOHN: this is all just a lot to take in.  
JOHN: i guess i'll consider it rose.  
ROSE: That's all that I ask.  



End file.
